Session 04

In today’s episode, I talk with Eric and Amy from MCAT for Me, a new business aimed at shaking up the world of test prep by providing free MCAT prep.

Eric and Amy are both undergraduate students at UC Davis. MCAT for Me was born out of necessity when Amy learned about the high costs of test prep.

Today, they talk about their premed path, volunteering, doing research as a premed, and the wealth of free MCAT prep resources you can access from the MCAT for Me website.

Listen to this podcast episode with the player above, or keep reading for the highlights and takeaway points.

Amazing programs at UC Davis for undergraduate students:

• Student-run clinics
• Internships in the UC Davis Medical Center set up exclusively for UC Davis undergrads
• Volunteering and research opportunities

Eric’s background:

• Growing up exposed to pharmacist parents and to his family’s businesses
• Currently a senior at UC Davis with a major in biomedical engineering
• Planning to apply to DO and MD schools
• Considering MD/PhD and MD/MBA programs
• Choosing UC Davis as his undergraduate school because of the medical school nearby

[Related episode: Picking an Undergraduate College and Major as a Premed.]

Amy’s background:

• Growing up exposed with artist parents
• Interested in autism and the cognitive aspect of psychology
• Currently a junior at UC Davis as a psychology major with an emphasis on biology
• Volunteering at one of the student-run clinics
  • Catering to the underserved Asian population in Sacramento
  • Providing primary care and cancer screening
  • Hard work, yet rewarding!
• Choosing UC Davis primarily based on location and proximity to family
• Involvement with research since being a freshman

Eric’s MCAT preparation:

• Choosing Princeton Review over Kaplan
• Spending around $2,100 for a 10-week course
• Studying for 10 weeks
  • Perfect amount of time—not too long, not too short
• The exam not being about facts but concepts
• The importance of understanding how to read MCAT passages
• Scoring a 37

[Related episode: MCAT Prep on Any Budget (Should I Spend $3,000)?]

Free MCAT prep with MCAT for Me

• Free MCAT prep company offering a different style of learning (more visual)
• 50 YouTube videos with over 3,000 views in just 2 months
• Teaching people for fun
• Teaching as the best way of learning
• Putting up at least 1 video per day and launching the website after 150 videos
• Various study plans available
• Free question of the day

Some pieces of advice for premed students:

• Being happy with what you’re doing goes a long way.
• Don’t worry about things that aren’t completely obvious to you right now.
• Just have fun and everything will work out.
• Focus on yourself, and go at your own pace. At the end of the day, you’re only competing with yourself.

Links and Other Resources

• Check out MCAT for Me and their Youtube channel for their free MCAT prep.
• Free MCAT prep from Khan Academy.
• Related post: Best MCAT Course (with a Promo Code).
• Related episode: Should I Take an MCAT Prep Course?
• Check out my book about the MCAT, co-written with Blueprint MCAT (formerly Next Step Test Prep): The Premed Playbook: Guide to the MCAT.